Invertible Robots
Invertible robots are a type of robot which are designed to run in both upright and inverted positions. The first competitor of its kind to appear in Robot Wars was Series 1 Grand Finalist T.R.A.C.I.E., while the most successful include Series 6 champion Tornado, Series 7 runner-up and Third World Champion Storm 2, Series 9 champion Carbide, and Dutch series champions Slicer and PulverizeR, among countless others. Definition An invertible robot is one that can run both ways up without the need for a srimech. While they are usually low in order to facilitate this ability, designs are diverse, ranging from simple box or wedge-boxed shaped robots such as King Buxton, Tornado and Storm 2, to wedges such as Wheely Big Cheese and even unique designs such as those of Pussycat and Crushtacean. Most invertible robots' controllers are equipped with a special switch that would invert their controls to match forward and reverse to the robot's orientation. However a few like Aggrobot simply added a second set of wheels on top. Advantages & Disadvantages Advantages *As their name implies, they can run upside-down without the need for a self-righting mechanism. Not only does this decrease the effectiveness of flippers, wedges and lifters against them, they can also allow weight savings which can enable more effective weapons, more powerful motors and more durable armour to be equipped. **Some, including Series 4 runner-up Pussycat, were even able to run sideways due to their designs preventing them from getting side-stranded. *Most weapon types are generally compatible with invertible designs, and can be optimised to operate in both upright and inverted positions. Wedges, flippers, lifters, spikes and spinning weapons - such as flywheels, cutting discs, drums and bar spinners - are particularly common. *They are ideally suited for tracked designs. Series 3 Semi Finalist 101 and Dutch Series 1 champion Slicer were the most notable and successful examples. Disadvantages *Because of their need to run inverted, their wheels or tracks are inherently vulnerable to being damaged by overhead weapons and vertical crushing weapons. Robots such as Tornado, S.M.I.D.S.Y. and Shockwave all lost battles to Razer, Dominator 2 and Thor respectively when their opponents used their crushers or axes to damage their tyres. *Some weapon types are difficult or unable to be compatible with these designs. Overhead axe/hammer weapons and vertical crushers are particular examples, with Suicidal Tendencies and Thunderpants being among the few invertible robots to be equipped with such weapons. *The effectiveness of an invertible robot's weapons - such as wedges, lifters or even vertical flywheels - could be reduced or nullified when the robot was inverted and the weapon was not optimised to work either way. Black Hole's discs lost their effectiveness when it was flipped by Philipper 2 and spun downwards instead of upwards, while Tornado's static scoop contributed to its defeat against Bigger Brother in the Extreme 2 All-Stars, when it was left unable to push the latter properly once inverted. *From a roboteer's point of view, it is often disorienting to drive a robot upside-down, especially if the robot looks identical either way up. *As the robots tend to be flat and low to the ground, invertible machines are relatively easy to clamp between wedges and overhead weapons. Tornado lost on several occasions to Razer, but also suffered defeats from Bigger Brother and Diotoir when its wheels were lifted off the ground. List of Invertible Robots Robots are listed alphabetically. Robots which are not heavyweight entries are listed with a green background. Category:Terminology Category:Invertible Robots